Tell me about the VR-4...

So, after my plans for buying a bike fell through, I'm going to try and save up to replace my 95 civic EX. I am thinking that a VR-4 would certainly be a nice upgrade but I don't know if I'll be able to save up enough money. How much do they usually sell for, in decent condition. How are they in terms of reliability (it would be my daily driver), comfort, etc. Are they easy to mod, expensive to maintain.. gimme anything you got.

I posted this in the 'Cars in General' forum too, figured I might get a better response here.

You'll get the best response here. Seriously, read the "FAQ", it's got everything you need to know. Also, read the sticky called "1st time buyers of a VR4" or something like that. If you have any more questions after that, don't hesitate to ask. I know both threads are kind of lengthy, but they're worth it.

They can be VERY expensive to maintain. Fast, good handling for a 3,700lb car, can be modded heavily on stock internals. But as said read the FAQ.

you should keep the civic so that if you mess up your new vr4 you can have something to travel on.

vr-4 as a daily driver isnt such a good idea, but if your gonna do it, make sure you get one in very good condition, preferably low miles. hope you have good mechanical knowledge.

Price depends on a lot. year mostly, and All the usual stuff, milage, condition, etc. You can spend anything from a couple grand for a 91-92 with high milage in need of minor work to 40-45000 for a low-milage 1999 or a spyder (both relatively rare).

the 99 vr4's were rarer than the spyders right??? Weren't there only like 80 produced???

the 99 vr4's were rarer than the spyders right??? Weren't there only like 80 produced???

Spyders were only made 95 and 96...So if your talking about '99 vr4's vs. all spyders then yes... otherwise no.... there is a production numbers link on stealth316... and its funny because base models were outselling the sl's after like 93, and even into the years of the sohc.. that is odd to me because i wouldnt have gotten base if i was buying a new car...

vr-4 as a daily driver isnt such a good idea, but if your gonna do it, make sure you get one in very good condition, preferably low miles.

lol actually i use mine as a daily and it works out perfectly. the trick is to bum rides EVERYwhere :D I usually just drive mine to work and back for a total of like 10 miles or so every weekday, plus a couple of trips to friends houses and stuff and im not even making 500 miles a month. its even easier to swallow since gas prices seem to be on a big plunge right now. even so, i still have a backup car that my family never uses just in case.

sorry if its a bit off topic but i was just curious, what kind of miles are you guys putting on your 3/s's every month?

sorry if its a bit off topic but i was just curious, what kind of miles are you guys putting on your 3/s's every month?

great question! well let's see here. i got my 3S back in Jan of 03 with 46,000 miles. now in July of 06 it has 82,000 miles. do the math and i put around 837 miles per month! wow, didn't know it was THAT low. but that's over a 3 yr span. 36k miles in 3 yrs...12k miles a year...not too shabby.

anybody know the avg. miles per year for the avg. consumer car?

the 99 vr4's were rarer than the spyders right??? Weren't there only like 80 produced???
There wee 287 99 VR4's produced. I still havent figured out where the number of between 60-90 99 VR4's came from. It pops up all the time. Only thing I can think of is people hear about the 96 RT/TT's being 57 and get confused. The 98 VR4's are actually rarer than the 99 VR4's.

In 95 there were 376 SL spyders and 531 VR4 Spyders made. In 96 there were 365 Sl Spyders and 346 VR4 Spyders. So there were more VR4 Spyders made in one year alone than the entire 96 lineup of Stealths.

Oh yeah for mileage bought the car in August 02 with 104k. Car sits today with just shy of 150k. So thats 46k miles in 47 months with averages to 978 miles per month. Now whats really sad is the car has been sitting since April 1 so its been sitting for 4 months now plus it sat from early July to early February last time so thats another 6 months. Take 10 months off and the average jumps to about 1243 miles per month. :eek: Where the hell was I diriving to? :lol:

people usually say that 20,000 mi. a year is what someone should put on a car... so if they are buying a car and its more than that then they offer less money...

As far as me I live really close to work as well so i only put around 600miles a month... but ill be going to school soon so it will jump up to around 1300-1500 soon:eek: ... ohh well what can ya do? (by the way, that figure includes me getting rides to school every other day...)

I remember when I was on either Progressive's website or kbb.com they told me how many miles were average for my car to have, I was definantly below. But when I do drive it, I seem to do about 12k a year.

ya, our cars are of the essence that 1) they require that gosh darn expensive high octane stuff, 2) they require just enough regular maintenance that when something does break, we let it go for a while and bum rides, and 3) b/c of #1 and #2, we're accustomed to bumming rides, so we just do it more often than most.

I put on like 7,000 miles this first year of having my car. I only bummed a ride once when my crank went, nothing like driving under 2200 rpm for a month:p

I Street race most days (after work 1-2hrs). I used to do it to my old GTO TT too. these cars are made to last and will if you just keep up with general maintanace stuff. (oils (every 6months), belts, wheel alignment)

They do 13.3 in the 1/4 mile and are quite easy to mod for 12 sec 1/4 for about $2000.00 USD Max.

have you driven one???

im probably putting on less than 500mi a month. I dont drive the car in winter, or in rain, and its only about 10mi to work.

Also, all my friends have way roomier cars, so, unless theres just me and 1 person (ie; quick beer run:icon16:), we always take someone else's car.

Since i bought the car about exactly 1 year ago, i've put on less than 1500mi.

ya, our cars are of the essence that 1) they require that gosh darn expensive high octane stuff, 2) they require just enough regular maintenance that when something does break, we let it go for a while and bum rides, and 3) b/c of #1 and #2, we're accustomed to bumming rides, so we just do it more often than most.

hahaha, how great would it be for 3s owners to be notorious for bumming rides :lol:

haha Anyonw sees a 3s comming and they all run because we are trying to get them to drive us somewhere!:lol:

Damn the high octane necessity! Every time I'm at the pump I gaze longingly into the nozzle of the mid grade, thinking of the ten cents every gallon that i would be able to save and not have to starve... but alas, my car always intimidates me to pick up the high grade and thrust it forth!:grinyes: :uhoh: ...

No... Seriously....:lol:

SO basically it's not a good idea to do it as a daily driver? Which basically eliminates it from my list, especially since I live in New England.

The other cars I'm thinking of are

97-99 GSX
97-98 TSI
SRT-4 (probably out of my price range)
WRX (same)


Basically I want something that's decently quick and already boosted from the factory.

if you dont mod it much and it was taken care of, its a decent daily driver... Just have some "in case" cash for when stuff breaks (but that is for any decently quick car)... Most of the down time everyone has on here is because of mods they are doing (sometimes not though)

97-99 GSX- will break down every week (DSM syndrome)
97-98 TSI-(same as above)
SRT-4 (probably out of my price range)-(boost leaks)
WRX (same)-(transmission is put together with legos)

Seriously...lol

I'd get an SOHC or an N/A. Great looks, half the price, and they don't break down(as much).

No I want something boosted. Something fast.

new england eh?....you gonna have a seperate winter car or no? I ask because, yes the VR-4 is AWD...but 320 horses is too much on snow IMO, AWD or not.

personally, if your driving it in the winter, of your choices you just listed, I would go with the WRX.
If your not driving it in the winter, i would get a VR-4, but, like stated above, make sure to have a little spare cash just in case.

SL, every turbod car is prone to boost leaks lol, not just hte srt4. I bet every member on here could go out and pressure test their TT and find a few.

As far as the NE winters. I don't think the 320hp is hte problem..it's the 18s with low pro tires :grinyes: Getting going easy, turning/stopping is a whole nother issue.

new england eh?....you gonna have a seperate winter car or no? I ask because, yes the VR-4 is AWD...but 320 horses is too much on snow IMO, AWD or not.

personally, if your driving it in the winter, of your choices you just listed, I would go with the WRX.
If your not driving it in the winter, i would get a VR-4, but, like stated above, make sure to have a little spare cash just in case.
With proper tires the VR4/TT will go about anywhere.